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Intro & What's New

Atomic’s newest addition to its’ real time strategy game Close Combat, Close Combat: Invasion Normandy has just been released and seems to be staying true to it’s successful formula. Depending on who you are that could be a good or bad thing. In this new title you control the outcomes of the D-Day landings from June 6, 1944 all the way through the to fight for the Cotentin Peninsula. To those people out there who have forgotten what they learned in grade 9 History, were talking about the battles you may have seen in the popular movie Saving Private Ryan. But don’t get the wrong idea, you’re not going to see the heart racing action the Steven Spielberg directed so perfectly, maybe watching a WWII documentary in slow motion might paint the picture more accurately.

In case you have never heard of the Close Combat Series, this would be the fifth addition that Atomic has released, three of which have been published by Microsoft. Once Microsoft believed that the profits weren’t up to par they dropped the project and Atomic passed it on to SSI/Mattel. Throughout the series, Atomic has been creating new scenarios of World War II while slowly adding new features. Basically, CC5’s features give you more control over the game.

The biggest addition probably being the force pool management, FPM sounds like some new revolutionary AI function but really all it means is that you are now able to control what squads go out to battle with you. The control given to the player by Force poll management adds an interesting twist to the series. Unfortunately this addition only benefits the very experienced player. Sure, it’s fun to play around with different squads but to a beginner the best setup is going to be the predetermined choice. Once you get the hang of the game, a little tweaking can help you out in battle but the menu itself is confusing. I found myself having to open up the manual, something an avid game player avoids like the plague because of their textbook like entertainment value. Checking out the map and its terrain is going to be your only clue as to what squads you want. Sometimes you might want to ditch some vehicles if the roads are limited, or grab some engineers to clear a path through mine fields. But as I said before, the original setup is usually the best. In other words, Force Poll Management adds to the control of the game but doesn’t require a big title like it was some breakthrough in technology.

In regards to the units in CC5 not much has changed. The only major addition is that of the engineering squad. Similar to the heavy infantry the engineers have some pretty heavy firepower. In my opinion, the more firepower the better, and these guys are equipped with some the big guns... We’re talking flame-throwers, panzerfausts, and demolition charges. Also like I mentioned above, they are able to clear mine fields, which at the least, the troops can be thankful for. Speaking of firepower, I love the new addition of the naval bombardments. Because you’re closer to the water in this series, at times you have the ability to command an explosive hell rain from your neighboring ships. The accuracy is pretty shotty at times but with that kind of power they usually get the job done. You’ll notice that the AI behind the units has been worked on. You’re going to see a lot more aggression from your enemies in this episode. The action is differently increased in comparison to the preceding chapters but it is still apparent that it’s not enough. I found myself canceling my ambushes and attacking because the opponents were still too slow… and my boredom too high.